From the recordings The Knight and The Very Best Of Tony Chen - Instrumental Series, Vol.1
This piece is composed for a new dance piece to be performed by Fei Tian College (Middletown). It is inspired by an ancient legend about the emperor Tang Minghuang, who sees fairies dancing in the Moon Palace, thus gaining inspiration for a famous musical composition.
One summer’s night, the emperor Tang Minghuang strolls in his palace under the moonlight. He longs for the moon and starts to write a poem, but doesn’t have inspiration. He wishes he could visit the heavenly Moon Palace, to see what it’s like, but disheartened, he falls asleep.
Suddenly, a Daoist master appears, and offers to take him to the moon. Tang Minghuang is then whisked away on a magical journey. He arrives at the Moon Palace, where heavenly maidens are dancing with ribbons of silk. Mesmerized by the divine realm, he can’t believe his eyes, and joins in with the fairies as they twirl amidst the clouds. Tang Minghuang wishes to stay longer and admire the Moon Palace with all of its grandeur, but with a swish of his Daoist whisk, the Daoist master chuckles, and puts the emperor back to sleep.
Tang Minghuang abruptly wakes up from his slumber. At first, he is confused as to where he is, and then he realizes he has returned to his own palace. He looks for the fairies and the Daoist master, but they were nowhere to be found. Was it all just a dream? Then, with sudden inspiration and conviction, he picks up his brush pen and finishes his poem.
English Editor: Alison Chen
Choreography by Alison Chen
(The actual dance may be a little bit different from the description above)